


Edelweiss

by Makowo



Series: Flos [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:22:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22018579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Makowo/pseuds/Makowo
Summary: He doesn't wanna do it.He doesn't wanna go up there.
Relationships: Hop/Masaru | Victor
Series: Flos [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1584835
Comments: 4
Kudos: 122





	Edelweiss

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pegasister60](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pegasister60/gifts).



> Me: oh boy!! I cant wait to finish all these makoto angst wips-  
> Kinshift: okay but. Victor tho  
> Me: ah. *shoves aside ALL my wips to do pokemon* ok.
> 
> But y'know how there's that fic and some other stuff abt Victor breaking down after catching Eternatus? Hop is also a child

The distant sounds of pokemon cries and clanging metal rings out from the large room just to the right of Hop, paired with the fervent shouts of moves he’s long tuned out. Right now, his sights are set on the elevator’s doors, golden gaze wide as he takes in their current situation.

Something’s happening on the roof. Chairman Rose, the man all of Galar trusted so much, instigated this. There’s a big storm on the roof. The building is shaking. The Chairman and Victor are fighting. There’s something on the roof. Leon’s already off trying to take care of it.

Leon’s on the roof with whatever the hell else is up there.

His breaths turn sharp, feeling the tremors of another roll of thunder rumble through the Wyndon stadium. Heat flares through the room, tailing after a bark of “Incinerate!” from the Ninetales’ young trainer. But he can’t help but cling to it; every word he can latch onto from Victor, distant and ragged. Only it can bring some sort of distraction from this existential dread, coiling low in his stomach, a heavy weight bringing down his entire being.

Hop isn’t quite sure how long it is until the shouting stops. It’s far too long, that’s all he knows. Yet it feels like not enough, that he needs more time right when a hand clamps down on his shoulder.

For some reason, Hop feels only a small sliver of relief at it being Victor that approaches him. Not the threatening demeanor of Rose, who’s now left to wonder over his mistakes in the wake of his fallen team. In fact, maybe he’d welcome the adult with open arms. Anyone older, anyone  _ reliable. _

Victor’s reliable, but not in the way he so suddenly craves.

“Hop.” A voice murmurs, soft and breathless. “We- we have to go, Hop.”

He looks right, gaze hazy despite his fast-beating heart. “Where?” He asks after a moment’s silence, watching as Victor shivers.

“Up. We g-gotta go up, Hop.” He gently shakes Hop’s shoulder for emphasise, face hard to read as, for once, there’s far too many emotions there to comprehend.

“Oh.” He replies, as if finally returning to reality. “Oh yeah.” He looks back up, Victor’s hand shrugged off after a few seconds. “But… what if we just…” He takes a slow step back, gaze still set on the doors of the elevator. “Didn’t?”

“Eh?” Victor turns, confusion visible; one of the rare times he’s ever been so expressive. Hop craves to savor it. “What do you mean?” 

“What if we didn’t go up? What if-” He swallows hard, golden eyes catching Victor’s dull brown pair. “What if we  _ didn’t _ face whatever’s up there?”

He isn’t sure what he wants right now. But he doesn’t want Victor’s reaction.

The slightly shorter boy’s eyes widen in shock, before narrowing to anger, bright and fiery. “If we don’t, Galar falls to ruin.” He barks, and doesn’t allow Hop a chance to respond as he steps towards him. “If we don’t, then Rose wins. If we don’t, th-then-” He chokes on his words, a rare show of weakness. Victor never is very uptight, but he’s always so careful about his emotions and words.

Hop isn’t sure whether to feel guilty or frightened. He feels both in droves anyways.

“Then people die.” Hop finishes. Quiet, steady. “I know, Vic. It’s selfish.” He can acknowledge that; it’s damn right vile of him. To place their own lives over thousands of others sounds like shit out of context. “It’s so,  _ so _ Arceus damn selfish. But I…”

“But  _ what? _ ” The boy hisses, eliciting shivers. “Hop, you’re my best friend, but I can’t get behind just leaving everything to go to hell. Not when we’ve come this far.”

“Why do we need to do this though? Huh?!” Hop snaps back, a hand flying up to take its place over to his chest. “Why do we need to be left up to this?! I didn’t… I didn’t sign up for this! And neither did you!” His voice raises, growls rolling out with each word. “Someone else should be doing this! Like the gym leaders, Raihan, hell,  _ Sonia _ or Lee!! Just not us!”

_ “Why?!”  _ The other trainer screams back, clearly intending to refute more but working instead to bite back harsher words.

Hop lacks such respect. “Because we’re fucking  _ fifteen _ , Victor!” He seethes, marching forward to take a firm stand right up against his best friend. “Or did you forget that we’re just fifteen at some point?! Th-that we’re just- we’re just-” His words are quickly turning to jumbled stammers for all the wrong reasons. Tears brim at his bright golden eyes, angered expression flickering.

Victor doesn’t manage to snap out of his rage like Hop does, voice coming out as a low snarl. “Go on! Finish ya damn excuse!” His accent finally sheds through his words, the boy taking a step back from the other that’s tearing up. “We gotta be responsible! Who else is gonna take on the thing up there?!”

“I c-can’t help but feel like we’re gonna  _ die _ , Vic.”

The quiet sob is a firm line in the argument. Hop keeps his eyes downcast, unable to bring his trembling arms up to hide tears shedding themselves from watery gold eyes. It burns, every bit of it. His anger, apprehension, terror. “I-I don’t wanna  _ d-die _ , Vic… I just w-wanna participate in the gym challenge, do pokemon b-battles, hang out with Lee and hang out with  _ you _ at home and not deal with-” He heaves out a ragged breath, roughly wiping away tears with the back of his jacket sleeve. “Deal with all of this shit about the Darkest Day and two heroes and…”

Hop trails off into a breathless growl of frustration, which then simmers down to a more pitiful sound. “I don’t want all of this… it shouldn’t b-be our job…”

‘We’re just kids.’ Goes unsaid, but rings clear in the tearful silence anyways.

Hop opens his mouth to say more, but Victor takes a loud step forward, one hand locking with the one vertically opposite. He shivers, blinking rapidly as tears still attempt to run down his flushed red face. The slightly shorter of the two stares with what appears to be fatigue, a deeply set tiredness that’s only just now unveiling itself. For a moment, Hop thinks it’s elicited from his own whining.

“I know, Hop.” He murmurs with a slight shake edging his voice. “I know, b-but… maybe everyone else is scared too. A-and we… if we could defeat Chairman Rose, th-then we can defeat that thing, too.”

“ _ You _ defeated the Chairman.” He snorts, sniffling as he turns away. “I j-just stood here and th-thought about stupid shi-”

“No!” Victor cuts him off, stepping back into his line of sight. “It isn’t stupid, Hop. I’m scared too, b-but… but  _ you’re _ here with me.” A smile creeps onto his face, and Hop bites his lip. “We’re not alone in this. We’re together, and with our teams I’m sure we’ll pull through.”

‘We’re together.’ He says.

Hop’s face is cloaked in a bright red blush in moments, but he nods quickly. “M-mhm! I’m s-sure we can!”

Victor laughs, and he’s sure the feeling blooming in his chest is what a pokemon feels when they hear a Soothe Bell. “That’s the spirit! Now come on.” He turns pressing the button to bring down the elevator. “We’ve gotta go help Leon.”

**Author's Note:**

> But yea really um??? Sonia?????? Why did u just let them go huh


End file.
